I think many atheists have been watching too much Star Trek or Star Wars because they believe these movies are science, not entertainment. Because in these movies, the actors are regularly scanning other solar systems and finding planets with alien life at different levels of technological advancement. Sometimes, they find two or three planets sustaining alien life in the same solar system.

Too much Star Wars may explain why a survey revealed that 55% of atheists believe in aliens on other planets.

But it is a different story in the real world.

A study by astronomers from the University of Sydney in Australia just dashed hope that there is life on ‘Proxima b’, a planet located in a Red star solar system just 4.2 light years from earth by stating that it is being bombarded by high levels of radiation.

The Daily Mail reports:

The presence of alien life existing on other worlds, including our nearest Earth-like planet, Proxima b, is less likely than previously thought, experts have found. 

A study reveals the rocky planet, which is just 4.2 light years away and exists in the habitable zone of its star, is being constantly hit with deadly radiation. 

It orbits the red-dwarf star Proxima Centauri and previous research has found it could be home to liquid water and therefore able to support life.

But the new research from astronomers at the University of Sydney shows red dwarf stars like Proxima Centauri regularly belch out huge amounts of ionising radiation in via solar flares and radio bursts which would kill all life. 

READ: Alien life ‘unlikely’ on Proxima b: Closest Earth-like planet is bombarded with deadly levels of ‘sterilising’ radiation, study finds

But atheists may still have hope for ‘Proxima b’, because in year four episode 25 of the TV series Star Trek Voyageur there appears to have been some type of Alien that lived in a toxic nebula or as the show unfolds maybe it was just their imagination?

For more on the atheist survey about aliens, READ Believe in Aliens? Then you’re probably an atheist or Muslim: Study reveals how religion affects your likelihood

It is not that people haven’t been trying to reduce atheist’s expectation of alien life. READ: Humans are as good as it gets: Scientists say evolution of intelligent life is ‘exceptionally rare’ and even our own existence is the result of a series of lucky ‘transitions’